The Coimbatore Corporation and the City Traffic Police have planned to regulate parking at Race Course in the city to facilitate smooth movement of pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles, such as bicycles, on the 2.3-km circular walkway.
The civic body’s move is aimed at eliminating unauthorised parking on the walkway. Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap told The Hindu that a survey of the stretch would be done to identify and remove the encroachments on this stretch.
Explaining the problem, the Corporation Commissioner said people who work in neighbouring districts such as Tiruppur and Erode, park their two-wheelers on the walkway and then board buses to these places. Besides, a few residents have also laid paver blocks from their gates in such a way that these extend into the walkway.
After an inspection of the walkway and the Race Course Road along with City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan on Friday, Mr. Prathap said it was a preliminary study held after a stakeholders meeting to discuss the parking-related problems in the area. The possibility of a paid parking space at Race Course was also explored at the meeting held recently.
Apart from the specific focus on Race Course, the civic body is also in the process of drafting an on-street and off-street parking plan for the entire city, he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) N. Mathivanan said that once the Smart City works near Thomas Park at Race Course were completed, the police and the civic body would work together to regulate the parking.
The officials also reviewed the Smart City works taken up at a cost of ₹ 40.07 crore in the area.
